[...]... typically run by only one person—have been around since the beginning of commerce Merchants roamed the streets of ancient Athens and Rome, hawking their wares In many parts of rural Africa and Asia, much commerce still takes place through small transactions and barter Unconventional approaches to marketing and public relations have also been around for a while Long before it was common, a band had an... doesn’t actually train people to operate a small business), you save the $60,000 in tuition and learn as you go Remember, this book isn’t about founding a big Internet startup, and it isn’t about opening a traditional business by putting on a suit and begging for money at the bank Instead, it’s the account of people who found a way to live their dreams and make a good living from something they cared... today, but the year was 1967, and the band was the Grateful Dead What’s new, however, is how quickly someone can start a business and reach a group of customers The building process is much faster and cheaper today than it has ever been Going from idea to startup can now take less than a month and cost less than $100 just ask any of the people whose stories you ll read in this book Commerce may have... Do Ideas Come From? As you begin to think like an entrepreneur, you ll notice that business ideas can come from anywhere When you go to the store, pay attention to the way they display the signage Check the prices on restaurant menus not just for your own budget but also to compare them with the prices at other places When you see an ad, ask yourself: What is the most important message the company is... good examples of how freedom and value are related In California, John and Barbara found a way to pursue the outdoor lives they wanted by inviting guests to make the ranch their escape Meanwhile, even though Kelly makes less money (at least for now) in her new career, her health is better and she does work she enjoys a trade-off she was happy to make Freedom was Kelly’s primary motivation in making the. .. exactly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco Barbara’s story stood out to me because of something she said I always ask business owners what they sell and why their customers buy from them, and the answers are often insightful in more ways than one Many people answer the question directly—“We sell widgets, and people buy them because they need a widget”—but once in a while, I hear a more astute... different—and she also knows that the families of the bride and groom may have preferences of their own Here’s how she handles these competing desires: On the day of the wedding, I’ll grab them and say, “Let’s get your family and just do a couple of traditional shots.” I’ll make it quick and painless I make sure everyone is laughing and having a good time and it’s not those awful, everybody-stare-at -the- camera-and-look-miserable... something you love to do? Yes Can you make money doing it? Yes, and here are the stories of people who have led the way Is there a path you can follow for your own escape plan? Yes—here is the path Follow it to create the freedom you crave PART I UNEXPECTED ENTREPRENEURS YOU ALREADY HAVE THE SKILLS YOU NEED— YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO LOOK The need for change bulldozed a road down the center... what people want and then find a way to give it to them Another way to consider it is to think about fish Picture this scenario: It’s Friday night, and you head out to a nice restaurant after a long week of work While you re relaxing over a glass of wine, the waiter comes over and informs you of the special “We have a delicious salmon risotto tonight,” he says “That sounds perfect,” you think, so you. .. kitchen; in fact, we may not even want to know the details A better way is to give people what they actually want, and the way to do that lies in understanding something very simple about who we are Get this point right, and a lot of other things become much easier For fifteen years, John and Barbara Varian were furniture builders, living on a ranch in Parkfield, California, a tiny town where the welcome . and the Rising Sun colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Guillebeau, Chris. The $100 startup : reinvent the way you make. commerce. Merchants roamed the streets of ancient Athens and Rome, hawking their wares. In many parts of rural Africa and Asia, much commerce still takes place through small transactions and barter. Unconventional. highly actionable. At many points along the way, you ll have a chance to pause and work on your own plan before continuing to learn more about what other people have done. A few of the people in the